01.02.03 - Unlimited Atonement

3. Unlimited Atonement: It is God’s desire that all people be saved (Ezekiel 18:23; Matthew 18:14; John 12:47; Acts 17:27; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Timothy 2:24-26; 2 Peter 3:9; cf. Lamentations 3:33), and it was precisely to accomplish this mission of salvation that He sent His one and only beloved Son into the world – to savethe world. For God loved the world so much that He gave [up] His only Son, [with the purpose] that everyone who believes in Him should not be lost [forever], but have eternal life [instead]. For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him. John 3:16-17. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 1 John 4:14.

It should therefore come as no surprise that our Lord died for all, that all might be saved. And indeed, Jesus died for all people, for every human being who has ever drawn breath. And He Himself is the atonement for our sins, and not just for ours, but also for the entire world. 1 John 2:2.

Thus His sacrifice on the cross was entirely effective, expiating the penalty for sin for all mankind. Therefore, because of Christ’s work on the cross, salvation is available to everyone with no exceptions.

[God] has erased the charge against us along with its bill of particulars (i. e., the record of our personal sins). This stood against us, but He removed it [as an obstacle] between us by nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:14.

Christ’s sacrifice is the cornerstone of the plan of God (Psalms 118:22; Isaiah 8:13-15; Isaiah 28:16; Daniel 2:34-45; Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians 10:4; 1 Peter 2:4-8). All of history as it actually unfolds according to the eternal decrees of God is predicated upon the cross (Ephesians 1:9-11; Colossians 1:17-20; 2 Timothy 1:9-10; cf. Matthew 21:42; Romans 5:6; Romans 8:29-30; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 2:20-22; 1 Peter 2:6-8; Hebrews 9:26), and every scripture in the written word is ultimately focused upon the work of Him who is the Living Word of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (John 5:39 cf. John 1:1-14; Hebrews 1:1-4; 1 John 1:1-4; Revelation 1:2; Revelation 19:13). In His eternal plan, therefore, decreed before the foundation of the universe before the creation of angels or men, God foreknew creature free will as exercised in faith or in the corresponding rejection of Him on the part of many that this provision of free will would entail. In His incalculable mercy and wisdom, our God provided a solution for the death and loss that such creature rebellion would produce (seen initially in Satan’s rebellion and then in the fall of man), namely, the redemption of fallen mankind through the blood of His very own Son, to be received by all who would accept His Person and His work. The resolution to the problem of our death on account of sin is Jesus’ death for our sin (Romans 6:10), ultimately resulting in the defeat of that last and most terrifying enemy, death itself, which will be swallowed up in life for all who believe (Isaiah 25:7-8; 1 Corinthians 15:26, 1 Corinthians 15:54-57; Hebrews 2:14). The cross of Jesus Christ has eliminated for all mankind the impossible problem of sin, even in the case of all sins committed before our Lord’s death undertaken on behalf of the world: For all sin and fall short of God’s glory, [but we are all] justified without cost by His grace through the redemption (lit., “ransoming” from sin) which is in Christ Jesus. God made Him a means of atonement [achieved] by His blood [and claimed] through faith, to give proof of His justice in leaving unpunished in divine forbearance [all] previously committed sins, so as to prove His justice in the present, namely, so that He would be [shown to be] just [in this] and [justified] in justifying the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:23-26. The passage above very plainly refers to all sins committed before the historical crucifixion of our Lord (Romans 3:25), and corresponds directly to the critical fact with which the passage begins: all sin, therefore all stand in need of atonement. This universality of Christ’s sacrifice, His death for all the sins committed in world history, past, present and future, is taught in a number of scriptures (2 Corinthians 5:19; 1 Timothy 2:4-6; 1 John 2:2): On the next day, [John] saw Jesus coming towards him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, the One who takes away the sin of the world”. John 1:29. But if anyone hears My words and does not hold on to them, I do not condemn him. For I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world. John 12:47. For it is the love of Christ that constrains us, having brought us to this conclusion: One died for [us] all; so then we all have died [in Him]. And He died on behalf of all so that those who are [now] alive might no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised [from the dead]. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. But now we do see Jesus crowned with glory and honor on account of the death He suffered, even Him who became “a little lower than the angels” for a brief span so that by the grace of God He might taste death on behalf of us all. Hebrews 2:9.

Unlike the [human] high priests, [Jesus] has no need of making sacrifice day by day, first on behalf of His own sins, and then for the sins of the people. For this [latter] He did once and for all when He offered Himself [as a sacrifice]. Hebrews 7:27. And you know that that One appeared to take away our sins, and sin is not in Him. 1 John 3:5.

It is because Jesus died for all sins that no further sacrifice for sins is necessary (Hebrews 10:15-18). Universal atonement, however, does not mean universal acceptance of the atonement on the part of the human race. The fact that Christ died for all, does not mean that all accept His sacrifice, putting their faith in Him and His work for eternal life. Universal atonement does mean that Jesus has taken away sin as a barrier to salvation (see below, section II. 9, “Reconciliation”). Universal atonement does not mean that mankind universally accepts the offer of forgiveness of sin and deliverance from sin that is universally available through faith in Jesus Christ. For this is the blood of my covenant which is poured out concerning many for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 26:28 (Mark 14:24; cf. Luke 22:20)

Deliverance from sin and death is available to all, but not all embrace it. The failure of some to accept who Jesus is and what He did in dying for our sins does not invalidate the atonement of the cross either generally or individually, but it does render that atonement of no practical benefit for those who reject it. For by refusing to accept what God has done in taking away our sins through the sacrifice of His one and only Son, a person must necessarily stand before God on his own merits instead. Jesus is the Savior of all mankind, but only those who accept, believe, and follow Him gain the benefits of the salvation God offers to all in Him. For this reason we toil and strive, for we have put our hope in the Living God who is the Savior of all men, especially believers. 1 Timothy 4:10. The one who believes in Him is not being judged, but the one who does not believe has already been judged on the grounds that he has not put his faith in the Name (i. e., the Person) of God’s only Son. John 3:18. When He [the Holy Spirit] comes, He will call the world to account regarding sin, and righteousness, and judgment:
– regarding sin, because they do not believe in Me.
– regarding righteousness, because I am going to my Father and you are not going to be seeing Me any longer.
– regarding judgment, because the ruler of this world has now been judged. John 16:8-11. The last two passages above make it abundantly clear that failure to receive the benefits of the atonement of the cross are a result of personal choice, the choice not to believe in Jesus. This is the one sin for which our Lord could not die, the sin of refusing to accept His sacrifice for our sins. God stands ready to forgive all other sins as impediments to salvation, except the sin of denying the truth of Jesus Christ. Calling God “a liar” when He sacrificed His one and only Son to die on our behalf is the “unforgivable sin”, the “eternal sin” of “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit”, namely, the rejection of the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 12:31-32; Mark 3:28-30; Luke 12:10). But for all who do accept the truth, who do trust in Jesus, and who do follow Him faithfully maintaining their faith to the end, His atoning sacrifice has already removed sin as an issue in entering into a relationship with God, and by grace through faith though sinners in practice we are made righteous in principle, justified by the blood of the One who shed His blood in our behalf (Romans 3:24; Romans 4:25; see section II. 8 below, “Justification”).